The Perfect Blossom

[Char Aznable]

Hakone Village, Planet Tomioka, Outer Kusari Space
16/03/825 AS, Early evening

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Like every day, she had woken up to the scent of saltwater and cherry blossoms.
Like every day, she had cleaned the floor and prepared breakfast.
Like every day, she had woken up her daughter and her lover to enjoy their meal together, before both of them left the house.
Like every day, she had prepared the house for their homecoming.
Only today, she had done all of this for the last time.
When her daughter came home from school, she'd brought her to the house of a friend. She laughed and joked with the other mother, even spent a good hour drinking tea with them before she returned home.
When her lover came home, she was finishing the last stitches on her white gown, the one she'd be wearing for the ceremony tonight.
It was going to be small, traditional. Like almost every kid in the entire house imagined it, in probably one of the most picturesque places the sector had to offer. She smiled up to the rising silhouette of planet Kodo, bathing the path before them in an almost dreamland-like light. By the time they would reach the shrine, it would be the sole source of light.
She looked to her left, to the stoic figure of her lover. He faced the ground in front of his feet, appearing to be in deep thoughts. Nervousness, she assumed - after all, he had initially been sternly opposed to the idea, even though he had later agreed. Her smile widened into one that was visible, a rare expression in these latest days. Relief filled her heart with every step that was carrying them to the shrine - she was walking towards the culmination of everything she'd lived for.
Her thoughts wandered just as they did, passing over details of her life like pearls on a long necklace. Her first fight, her first misfortune. The face of her mother, and the first kiss she'd shared with the man next to her right now. Their daughter, and how she had recently learned to fully address her. O-kaa-san. What a mouthful for a child.
And then, quickly, her mind went to the words she'd be saying tonight. Admittedly, she still hadn't quite figured out what to say in this most important of moments. She'd spent the better part of the last months thinking about it, even before she'd approached her lover with the idea, but everything that was on her mind was strings of words, almost as uncoordinated as the chain of thoughts currently going through her head. No, this was hardly easy. It also shouldn't be, given the importance of those few words that were intended to echo through the minds of everyone who heard them. And asking her lover for help about this was out of the question.
She squeezed his hand softly, still looking at the man deep in his thoughts. Maybe... A little talk wouldn't hurt.
"Yoshi? Love? What's on your mind?"